VG247 » Outernautshttp://www.vg247.com
VG247.comTue, 03 Mar 2015 21:32:30 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.1Outernauts Facebook closing in favour of new mobile versionhttp://www.vg247.com/2013/12/04/outernauts-facebook-closing-in-favour-of-new-mobile-version/
http://www.vg247.com/2013/12/04/outernauts-facebook-closing-in-favour-of-new-mobile-version/#commentsWed, 04 Dec 2013 22:19:24 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=432488Outernauts, the first Facebook game from Insomniac’s social label, will be shuttered in January as the team moves on to a new mobile version of the Pokémon-like casual battler.

Outernauts will close on Facebook and Kongregate on January 31, the developer announced in a post on the Insomniac Games website.

The decision will allow Insomniac to “concentrate on making our iOS version the very best it can be”, the team added.

“While we’d love to be able to keep running Outernauts on Facebook, Kongregate and iOS, we simply don’t have the resources to do so at our high standards. What does that mean? Honestly, it means we wouldn’t be able to create new content for all three platforms and more importantly, properly address player inquiries. We have to pick where we focus, and we’re going to focus on iOS (and eventually Android).”

In-game purchases have been closed, and players who have purchased star gems in the past 48 hours will receive triple the amount as compensation.

“In addition, we will soon announce a detailed rewards structure as a thank-you to the many dedicated Outernauts browser players who may wish to try Outernauts on iOS. This is important to us, as we have come to really connect with the hardcore Outernauts community members,” Insomniac added.

Insomniac thanked fans for accompanying the team on its journey as the game evolved past its initial social game tropes, crediting players for many suggestions which resulted in a better game, and said the new mobile version will have “a more streamlined experience focusing primarily on breeding and battles — with more beasts, worlds, missions and well, more”.

Insomniac is just one of a number of companies like Zynga and EA which have chosen to focus on mobile rather than Facebook over the past few years.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2013/12/04/outernauts-facebook-closing-in-favour-of-new-mobile-version/feed/0Outernauts to ditch viral gimmickry for gameplayhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/11/09/outernauts-to-ditch-viral-gimmickry-for-gameplay/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/09/outernauts-to-ditch-viral-gimmickry-for-gameplay/#commentsFri, 09 Nov 2012 04:10:13 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=314676Making the conceptual shift from console action games to the social casual scene isn’t as easy as many think. Insomniac talks about their growing pains as they further refine their online title Outernauts.

Any game developer worth their salt will listen to their player base, and this goes doubly so for a company that wants to take one game and turn it into a full franchise. So when Insomniac gauged the opinions of their players, they found a rather specific distaste for so-called “viral” features and a deep desire for refining the gameplay.

Brian Hastings, Insomniac’s chief creative officer, said “We listened extensively to player feedback, and it was clear that many of the viral features were a drawback to their enjoyment of the game. Ultimately we think it’s only effective in the short term to use gimmicks and other negatively perceived techniques to increase virality.”

Without a doubt, the free-to-play market can be a difficult one. Revenue has to be earned somehow, and viral mechanics in these games help promote and share it – which in turn, provide a larger potential player base. The larger the number of players, the more those micro-transactions add up. But when your players get turned off by these features, it can quickly become a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Brian Hastings continues, “A lot of them didn’t stick with it because of the viral elements that have since been removed. I think much of the negative feedback about the viral stuff was from core gamers or mid-core gamers. It’s actually kind of funny because there are a lot of players who play the game for hundreds of hours but refuse to ever pay a dime just in principle because they don’t believe in paying money for Facebook games.”

I have a few family members on Facebook who do play Outernauts, and have certainly seen some of the pushes the game makes into timelines. It can get a bit much, like many “pushy” games, so the fact they have recognised this and making changes to that aspect will certainly help lower the annoyance factor.

Have you played Outernauts or seen it on your timeline? And what do you think of the whole (mostly) “free-to-play” games?

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/09/outernauts-to-ditch-viral-gimmickry-for-gameplay/feed/1Outernauts – Insomniac’s first Facebook game launcheshttp://www.vg247.com/2012/07/24/outernauts-insomniacs-first-facebook-game-launches/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/07/24/outernauts-insomniacs-first-facebook-game-launches/#commentsTue, 24 Jul 2012 12:28:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=279195EA has announced the launch of Outernauts, Insomniac’s first game created for Facebook. The adventure role-playing social game allows players to capture and train “exotic alien beasts for battle” as they transform their “cosmic homeworld into a thriving galactic hub,” as members of United Earth’s elite Outernaut force. Players must also uncover the riddle behind mysterious “ancients” while “battling pirates and evil corporations seeking to control the galaxy.” Players will explore planets, harvest loot, and fight asynchronously alongside or against friends. Screenshots are below.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/07/24/outernauts-insomniacs-first-facebook-game-launches/feed/0Insomniac “builds franchises,” don’t expect Outernauts to go “away anytime soon”http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/10/insomniac-builds-franchises-so-dont-expect-outernauts-to-go-away-anytime-soon/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/10/insomniac-builds-franchises-so-dont-expect-outernauts-to-go-away-anytime-soon/#commentsThu, 10 May 2012 19:09:55 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=257869Insomniac has said its Facebook title, Outernauts, won’t be just a one-off entry but the start of a new franchise. Speaking with Gamasutra, lead designer Rowan Belden-Clifford said the studio is in the business of building franchises, “so don’t expect Outernauts to be going away anytime soon.” He also said with the firm is interested in seeing “where Facebook, mobile and tablet games go in the future,” the team is entirely focused on its first foray into the social games market, and for now a mobile version isn’t in the cards. For those uninterested in social titles, there’s always Overstrike, the firm’s first-person, four-player co-op shooter in development through EA Partners in works.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/10/insomniac-builds-franchises-so-dont-expect-outernauts-to-go-away-anytime-soon/feed/10EA Partners, Insomniac announce Outernauts for Facebookhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/05/09/ea-partners-insomniac-announce-outernauts-for-facebook/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/09/ea-partners-insomniac-announce-outernauts-for-facebook/#commentsWed, 09 May 2012 12:13:09 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=257207EA Partners and Insomniac have both announced today Outernauts, a brand new IP from the latter that’ll launch on Facebook this summer.

Outernauts will be Insomniac’s first foray into Facebook gaming, having previously stuck to HD consoles.

“We see a huge opportunity to reach an entirely different audience of gamers through Facebook,” said Insomniac CEO Ted Price.

“As we have demonstrated for nearly twenty years in the console games space, we’re confident we can help evolve the definition of a game experience on Facebook.

“With Outernauts, we are delivering a deep story with real RPG strategy, coupled with Insomniac’s signature sense of humour.”

Outernauts is an adventure RPG where players will become part of the United Earth’s Outernaut force, who capture and train exotic aliens whilst battling pirates and evil corporations.

Players will get to “explore planets, harvest loot, and fight asynchronously alongside or against friends to master a wild, untamed universe,” according to the EA press release.

Outernauts launches this summer, but is currently in closed beta testing. Insomniac and EA Partners also have PS3 and 360 title Overstrike on the books, but hasn’t been seen since E3 last year.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/05/09/ea-partners-insomniac-announce-outernauts-for-facebook/feed/3Rumour – EA Partners site suggests new Populous, Insomniac and Respawn games in FY2013http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/03/ea-partners-site-suggests-new-populous-insomniac-and-respawn-games-in-fy2013/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/03/ea-partners-site-suggests-new-populous-insomniac-and-respawn-games-in-fy2013/#commentsFri, 03 Feb 2012 03:09:56 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=231115Internet sleuthing has uncovered what seems to be two unannounced games due in the next 12 months, plus a third, much-anticipated project.

A NeoGaf user claims to have stumbled across a wiki page labelled “EAP Marketing FY13 Home Page” – the site has since been protected with a login.

The user claims to have found a list of the following titles on the site: The Secret World; Overstrike; Populous; Outernauts; Respawn.

Both Funcom’s The Secret World and Insomniac’s Overstrike are to be published by EA Partners (commonly abbreviated to EAP) during FY2013 – April 2012 to March 2013 – but the others are a little more mysterious.

Populous is a classic Pete Molyneux-created property owned by EA; no news of a revival of the god sim has surfaced, but fellow Bullfrog production Syndicate has been rebooted as a co-op shooter due for release in february.

A domain registration for Outernauts by Insomniac Games suggests a second collaboration with EA Partners from the Ratchet & Clank developer.

Respawn is likely to refer to the new game from Respawn Entertainment, a new studio founded by former Infinity War heads Jason West and Vince Zampella after their dramatic break with Activision.

The authenticity of the site and its contents has not been established.